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Personal Training – yay or nay

When I started working out at a neighbourhood gym in 2013, the trainer would make me lift 2 kgs dumbells and work my “core” with sit ups. I discovered the Nerd Fitness blog, read all the posts and told my trainer I wouldn’t touch 2 kgs weights again. The weights kept going up and once he taught me everything he could, I switched to Fitness First. What I love about the Gurgaon branch is that none of the trainers have tried to sell their personal training to me. Instead, most of them have been very kind with their time and advice. From helping me with training plans to shooting videos of workouts before I moved to Mumbai, everything learned was for free.

Few months back, a new trainer approached me for personal training and though I was polite to him and took his number, inwardly I was annoyed.

Here is why personal training seems like a waste of money:

Most trainers are not well qualified. I have come across so many of them who are wrong about half of what they teach

Don’t need a trainer to help me get to the gym and get a workout in. I refuse to pay someone because my will power sucks

Don’t see the point of spending money on someone to count my reps and put the dumbbells back in their place

Personal trainers don’t teach clients how to workout on their own instead the objective is make them dependent

Am not so lonely that I need someone for small talk at the gym. Also, hate small talk at the gym. And everywhere else.

Trainers don’t customise their plans basis the client’s objectives. They have fixed mindsets and don’t necessarily work on the person’s weaknesses.

A huge part of fitness is nutrition which a trainer may or may not influence. All the time in the gym is a waste if nutrition isn’t corrected.

Let me call this trainer X. He has been observing me and my workouts. Sometimes he will ask what exercises am doing and why. Or he will correct my form. Today, he criticised my form and lack of effort. He gave me tips on the correct form for a workout and how I should focus on what my body is doing instead of the mind. He is right. I haven’t been listening to my muscles and that’s why there is no soreness. I have been drifting through the gym because my current goals aren’t very ambitious. I can take small steps to meet them and that is all the effort am putting in. He made me the pectorals workout very intense at the lowest weight and I was shocked.

This is how the conversation went.

X : Give me 45 days and I will get your body in whatever shape you want. We will work on your thighs, shoulders and waist and get you an hourglass figure

Me : I don’t care about shape and size. I want to get fit and strong. I want to get to full range full form pushups and pull ups

X : Done. Give me 45 days and I will get there

Me : Deal

Guess it is time to make ambitious goals and get some help to meet them.